In a typical Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) system a modem gets connected to outdoor radio equipment using an inter facility link (IFL). The outdoor radio equipment outdoor unit includes a Block Up-Converter (BUC) and a power amplifier. Satellite modems are typically connected to the BUC. There are two modes of transmission to the satellite, namely, a linear mode and a constant envelope saturated mode, each requiring a different VSAT modem. The typical linear modem transmits information via an IFL to a linear BUC using a signal ranging from 950 MHz to 1700 MHz. The typical constant envelope saturated modem transmits information to a saturated Phase Lock Loop (PLL) based up-converter using a signal ranging from 228-234 MHz via an IFL. In order to support both a BUC and PLL based multiplying converter, the industry uses two different satellite modems, one having a linear transmitter and the other having a saturated transmitter. Moreover, the two modems require installation and configuration of a second IFL.
As such, there is a need to provide to a satellite modem that is switchable between saturated and linear BUC modes, and preferably uses a single IFL to provide such functionality.